Dr. Gary Pusillo

After losing buckets of sweat while removing some of the tornado ravaged fallen trees around our Iowa home, I decided to enjoy a small cup of French Vanilla ice cream. I typically do not eat sweets, but since my college aged daughter is still home for the summer, she makes sure only the best French vanilla ice cream is stocked in our freezer.

While I enjoyed the cold creamy texture, I took a look at the nutrition label to see how much water I was paying for. For the top of the line, expensive French Vanilla ice cream, the water was at 66.5% per cup. Since the ice cream contents weighted about 5 ounces that means I was eating 3 ounces of water in each cup of expensive French Vanilla ice cream.

Most frozen treats such as sherbet, ice-cream, and frozen yogurt will be around 63 to 68 % water. Fresh non frozen yogurt runs about 87% water.

I do expect water in my ice cream, since it is made from milk and cream which is naturally high in water. I am ok with expecting over 60 % water in frozen dairy treats, but I do not expect frozen dog diets to contain over 75% water if they are advertised as “all beef.”

Several companies are now selling frozen raw “meat” diets that exceed 80% moisture; that is more than canned dog foods. These diets require a water stabilized vitamin premix added to  the diet to make sure the dog actually receives the guaranteed vitamins. However many companies are simply adding frozen carrots, blueberries, and other fruits as the only source of vitamins. There is absolutely no way these few bits of carrots and blueberries will  meet all  the dog’s vitamin needs.

Some fish is naturally high in water and this fact shows up in some of the newest members of the raw frozen diet family. One diet that was advertised as “moderate protein Cod Canine” had 85% maximum moisture content, which means that it is possible to have 13.6 ounces of water for each pound of product, leaving just 2.4 ounces of non water ingredients!

I will continue to pay for the 66.5% water in the delightful blend of Ice cold French Vanilla ice cream, but I find it difficult to pay for 85% water in a frozen dog food.  I will also continue to top my ice cream with blueberries and strawberries for fun and not for my daily vitamin needs.

Calculating how much water per pound that is in your pet’s food is easy. Take the % moisture that is guaranteed on the tag and multiply it by 16 ounces per pound. For example :  If the tag reads 78% moisture, multiply 16 ounces by 78% (.78) to get 12.48 ounces per pound of dog food.

For a good reference point of the moisture content of raw meat, raw filet mignon is about 60 % moisture and raw chicken tenders are about 53 % moisture. Frozen blueberries are 87% water and carrots are 90% water.